Costello van Steenis delivered a dominant and decisive performance at PFL Madrid, successfully defending his middleweight championship against challenger Fabian Edwards with a spectacular elbow knockout in the third round.
The opening round witnessed competitive exchanges, but it was van Steenis who managed to gain a crucial late advantage. After effectively stuffing Edwards’ takedown attempt, van Steenis quickly transitioned, nearly securing a guillotine choke. While Edwards skillfully defended and escaped the submission, he was forced to concede top control to the reigning champion, positioning van Steenis with a likely lead after the initial five minutes.
Edwards began the second round by once again attempting to take the fight to the ground, briefly bringing van Steenis to the canvas. However, his grappling success was short-lived. With just over two minutes remaining in the stanza, van Steenis skillfully reversed the position, taking Edwards’ back and threatening with a rear-naked choke. Edwards displayed resilience, surviving the round and even rising to his feet to deliver a late flurry of strikes. Nevertheless, the majority of offensive control and significant action came from van Steenis, securing him a clear two-round lead heading into the championship rounds.
Despite his prior wrestling attempts yielding minimal success, Edwards stubbornly pursued a grappling strategy again in the third round. This decision ultimately proved costly. Van Steenis swiftly countered, nearly catching Edwards in another tight guillotine choke. As Edwards defended and attempted yet another takedown, he left his head dangerously exposed. Seizing this critical opportunity, van Steenis unleashed a brutal and relentless barrage of short elbows against the cage, sending Edwards to the canvas unconscious and securing the title defense.
Official Result: Costello van Steenis defeated Fabian Edwards via KO (elbows) at 1:48 of Round 3.
